Tuesday 6th January 1835

Election commenced, 3 candidates. Mr. Wood, Wortley & Protheroe –

Courtesy of West Yorkshire Archive Service, Calderdale WYC:1525/7/1/5/1/36

[up at] 8 55/..

[to bed at] 12

no kiss fine morning very hard frost Fahrenheit 39° in my dressing room at 9 1/2 a.m. settled George’s account   breakfast at 9 3/4 to 10 – then had Washington till 11 3/4 – settled with him – he brought me the large plan (shewing proposed lines of road coal-looses etc.) to keep for a day or 2 – looked it over – a little while with my aunt – at the drift etc. – out with Adney at 2 25/.. – we walked to Crownest – a few minutes there (Adney settling about shirts etc. for the poor people) then to Cliff hill at 3 1/2 – 58 minutes there  Mrs. Ann Walker in very good humour – home in an hour at 5 28/.. – some time with my aunt to wish her good night intending to write letters (to Lady Stuart and Vere) in the evening – dinner at 6 1/2 – coffee – kept Aquilla Green waiting 1/4 hour then had him in the north parlour from 7 55/.. to 10 35/..! talking about politics 1st then about Joseph Wilkinson etc. and lastly as usual on the subject on which he (Aquilla Green) came, a corn mill at Mytholm – to take the level from this end of Belvidere, and should gain 10 feet of fall – must carry the water along a culvert thro’ Joseph Wilkinson’s field along the brow, to come out along the brow of Jonathan Mallinsons holme – Joseph Wilkinson’s field about 100 yards across – said I could not depend upon him – could not make any agreement with him – would not attempt it – would sooner give up all thought of a mill – but Aquilla Green might try what he could do, if he liked – might see what Joseph Wilkinson would ask for the privilege – I knew the same sort of privilege granted (double the length of goit, Aquilla Green said) for those mills in Ovenden which I mentioned at £10 per annum – I thought Joseph Wilkinson ought to take £5 per annum or be paid a sum off at hand according to this value – Aquilla Green thought the mill-work (wheel etc. independent of masonry dam and goit) would cost £700   I estimated the whole job at £2500 – Aquilla Green said £2000 but sure £2500 would be the utmost – what rent should I ask – said I could not build mills for 5 percent – if I laid out £2500 should want £150 per annum (i.e. 6 percent) Aquilla Green said he must see what power could be had before he could tell what rent he could pay – but if he had a mill should want the Mytholm land, and hoped I would not let it off till I had decided not to build the mill – agreed – Aquilla Green to let me know what Joseph Wilkinson said as soon as he could, thro’ his (Aquilla Green’s) mother because it would not do for Mr. Hodgson to know he was inquiring about a mill – the state of the poll on closing at 4 p.m. was according to the written statement brought by Matthew from the central committee at the Swan –

Wortley      260

Wood         294

Protheroe   273

sad rough work in the town – almost all the blue flags torn in pieces by the orange, radical mob – Matthew knocked down and a little tho’ not much hurt – Aquilla Green said the committee had not voted and there was hope for Wortley – Mr. Hodgson split his vote (tho’ a Whig) between Wood and Wortley – told Aquilla Green I did not want anyone to change his opinion against his conscience for me, but I had made up my mind to take none but blue tenants so long as there remained people of this way of thinking, and when there were none, then I must try to change myself – said a good deal on the subject but all very quietly and fairly as he himself owned – very fine day – hard frost in the morning – rather thawing towards evening Fahrenheit 37 1/2° at 11 1/2 p.m. in my study, fire in the stove all the day from noon –

Courtesy of West Yorkshire Archive Service, Calderdale SH:7/ML/E/17/0138